US 12,137,747 B2
Electrically operated smoking device including a compact system for identifying smoking articles in the device
Christiane Gimkiewicz, Ismaning Bei Muenchen (DE); Rolf Eckert, Neuchatel (CH); Edoardo Franzi, Cheseaux-Noreaz (CH); David Hasler, Neuchatel (CH); and Ross Stanley, Epalinges (CH)
Assigned to Philip Morris Products S.A., Neuchatel (CH)
Filed by Philip Morris Products S.A., Neuchatel (CH)
Filed on Oct. 8, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/497,411.
Application 17/497,411 is a continuation of application No. 15/735,688, granted, now 11,166,494, previously published as PCT/EP2016/067888, filed on Jul. 27, 2016.
Claims priority of application No. 15181085 (EP), filed on Aug. 14, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0022548 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06K 7/10 (2006.01); A24D 1/20 (2020.01); A24F 40/40 (2020.01); A24F 40/51 (2020.01); A24F 40/53 (2020.01); G02B 3/00 (2006.01); G06K 7/12 (2006.01); A24F 40/20 (2020.01)
CPC A24F 40/53 (2020.01) [A24D 1/20 (2020.01); A24F 40/40 (2020.01); A24F 40/51 (2020.01); G06K 7/10732 (2013.01); G06K 7/12 (2013.01); A24F 40/20 (2020.01); G02B 3/005 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electrically operated smoking device configured to receive a smoking article, comprising:
a housing defining a cavity configured to at least partially receive the smoking article;
an image sensing module configured to detect indicia on the smoking article, the image sensing module being disposed on a periphery of the cavity and comprising a light source, an image detector, and a plurality of microlenses held in a support structure, wherein the plurality of microlenses are configured to provide a mosaic of inverted images on the image detector; and
an opaque shield disposed between the light source and the image detector, the opaque shield being configured to prevent light from the light source directly entering the image detector, without first being reflected by the smoking article.